Selecting a Practitioner

You've made the decision to seek assistance in your quest and are prepared to invest the time and money to succeed in reaching your goals. The fees vary from one practitioner to the next, but that alone is insufficient to help you make a decision when it comes to selecting a practitioner that aligns with your style, energy level, and desired results. Today there are more metaphysical practitioners, Reiki healers, life coaches, and spiritual counselors than ever before. All say that they have the ability to improve your life, get you on the right path, and help you reach your goals. The following outlines several modalities and ways to determine which practitioner and type of approach will work best for you. 1- Reiki: If you are experiencing an energy lull, stuck energy, stress, aches and pains, anxiety or depression, Reiki may be a good first step to unblock chakras and release stagnant energy. Note: Reiki is not a substitute for appropriate medical or psychological intervention. Choosing a practitioner: The number of Reiki practitioners has increased over the years and now more than ever it's critical to find the one that resonates with your vibrational pattern and needs, whether it is for treatment or to learn the art of Reiki yourself. Here are key guidelines: Consider the importance of energy: Does the Reiki practitioner seem healthy, focused, gentle, caring, and open? Remember that the practice of Reiki requires that the energy be channeled through the practitioner into you. Ask yourself if you want that energy going through this person and entering your energy body. There are many stories of clients and students becoming ill after a Reiki session or class with a particular practitioner with the explanation that they are adjusting to the energy. If you feel sick after a session, do not continue with that practitioner. This is not a normal or healthy reaction to treatment after a Reiki session; you should feel relaxed, energized, lighter and have a heightened sense of well being. For students, make sure that the classes include lessons on grounding and protection, and that you are attuned before practicing on others. If not, you are giving the subject your own energy rather than channeling Universal Life Force, and it is likely to result in extreme fatigue and or illness. 2- Tarot: If you are looking for a way to understand your situation from an intuitive perspective, seeking to confirm what you're already feeling, or wanting to generate alternatives, Tarot may be a good way to tap into new perspectives on yourself, others, or your situation. Note: Tarot is inappropriate for use as a decision-making tool or to predict the future. Free will is an essential component when using this modality. Choosing a practitioner: Before getting a reading, consider how you feel in the presence of the reader. If you experience any discomfort whatsoever, do not proceed with the reading. A Tarot reading is an energy exchange, a mingling of energies between you and the reader. If you are uncomfortable with the reader's energy, a reading with this person may cause a disruption in your energy field. Also, if the reader claims that you have a curse, dark cloud, or negative being attached to you and wants a hefty price to remove it, end the session and leave. A reader who presents you with such expensive strategies is looking for additional income and is not advising you in your best interest. Finally, it's important for you to feel that the reader provides information to you in a caring manner that is for your highest good. Harsh delivery of sensitive information can be detrimental to your state of mind. It is best to come away from the reading with a sense of hope, understanding, and clarity. 3- Life Coaching: There are many reasons to seek assistance from a life coach. - To enhance effectiveness professionally and personally - To increase overall productivity - To set and achieve career or personal goals - To achieve work/life balance - To learn to trust yourself and live with more meaning and purpose - To receive honest, objective and constructive feedback - To dispel inaccurate beliefs and remove barriers to success - To identify and maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses Note: Before entering into a life coaching relationship, make sure you are ready to invest yourself in the process. Be open and have the mindset of choosing this modality to reach specific goals that you have had difficulty achieving on your own. Choosing a practitioner: When selecting a life coach, get a sense as to whether or not the practitioner has his or her own act together. Receiving coaching from someone who is struggling with the same issues you are is counterproductive. If you are looking to commiserate, seek out a friend in a similar position and save your money. If you are serious about learning how to overcome obstacles, achieve your goals, and understand yourself better, then find a practitioner with expertise in the areas you are seeking to improve. For example, if you are looking to improve your effectiveness in your career/professional life, find a practitioner with business experience who has dealt with career development/transition and who understands the corporate/office environment. Find out what credentials the coach has. Make sure you feel comfortable as you speak with the coach about approach, credentials, etc. This first interaction will reveal the tone you can expect if you begin a coaching relationship with this person. Learn from them their background, what brought them to coaching, and ask to talk to some of their former clients to check them out. Ask how long the person has been practicing and find out the method s/he will use with you to help achieve your goals. If the plan is to simply talk it out, then there is no structure to the coaching method and the chances are diminished that you will achieve the desired outcome. In coaching, you do the work, so establish goals together and work toward them. Agree on and define a measure of success so that you will both know when the goal has been reached. 4- Spiritual Development: If you seek to explore various spiritual paths, to learn about one in particular, or to understand metaphysics in general and how these beliefs can open you to new ways of living, then seeking a practitioner/counselor knowledgeable in these areas is right for you. Choosing a practitioner: Find out in which areas the practitioner has expertise. If you want to explore Buddhism, make sure that the person is a Buddhist or has studied Buddhism extensively. Many people today are interested in metaphysics and claim to have expertise in this area. Ask how long the person has been studying/practicing their particular area and find out about their underlying philosophy. The person's philosophy will have much to do with the way they approach spiritual development. Read articles written by the practitioner and see if what s/he says in written form resonates with you. Do they demonstrate the depth of understanding you seek? Is the language used in a way that you can relate to the person? Do you prefer someone who refers to emotions as the "heart space" or do you prefer a more pragmatic approach in learning about the energies and beliefs that impact emotionality? Are you looking for someone who is aligned with angels, fairies, gods/goddesses, biblical teachings, ritual, or psychic development? What is it you're looking to get out of the time (and money) you spend with this person? Alignment with your core personal philosophy can help move your lessons forward much faster. This is not to say that having a teacher with an alternate viewpoint is a bad thing; you can always learn something from that person, but if your intention is to understand the mechanisms of performing high magick and the teacher's expertise is primarily tied to angelic energies, then your goals will not be reached. The choice of a coach, practitioner, or teacher is a very personal one. It's important that you go into the selection process with awareness of what your needs are and how various practitioners may or may not be able to assist you.